Currently in the automotive field there are known electric plug-in connectors having contact laminae, in a prestressed state ready for plug-in connection to a contact pin. Prestressing is achieved by intentionally bending the contact laminae back from an initially bent-over state and supporting them in this new position by rigid supports on a steel nib. Due to this prestressing of the contact laminae, a large contact gap should be established without reducing the operative normal contact forces in the plug-in state, these forces being defined by the prebending state of the contact laminae in the unloaded state. The advantage of a large contact gap established in this way is that the high frictional force at the start of the plug-in operation (opening-up peak in the contact force-path diagram) is greatly reduced because the contact laminae and the contact pin do not come in contact with one another until immediately before the parallel region of the contact pin, i.e., in an area in which the sliding angles relative to the frictional forces are favorable. In addition, the probability of underplugging of the contact laminae is reduced by a large contact gap.
With the known electric plug-in connectors having prestressed contact laminae, the abutments for the prestressing are rigid elements of the steel nib which limit the spring movement of the contact laminae at one side even in the plugged-in state. Owing to the narrow tolerances of such spring systems, there is the risk that the contact force will not be reached completely and/or the contact pin will be contacted on only one side.